Engineer’s week
The Capital District will celebrate National Engineers’ Week next Wednesday at the Albany Marriot.
Over 30 technical and professional engineering associations throughout New York State will sponsor the event, which seeks to raise awareness of the contributions engineers make to our daily lives.
The event will last from 8 am to 5 pm and will include a number of seminars and exhibits, in addition to a luncheon at which Lieutenant Governer Mary Donohue will speak. Much of the event is free and open to the public, while the luncheon is $20 per person.
Computers for Union
Administrators at the Rensselaer Union have requested that all departments on campus consider donating old computers to the student body for use by clubs and as public terminals in the Union, rather than wasting them by throwing them away.
They are asking for any computer that is Pentium 233 equivalent or greater.
Those who have questions or who are looking to donate their old computers should contact the Union system administrators at sysadmin@union.rpi.edu.
Biotech lectures
The Severino Center will host executives from 10 local biotech corporations today from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Heffner Alumni House.
They will be discussing the biotechnology industry in the area, and will provide brief overviews of their businesses, technology, and products.
Among the invited companies are Applied Biophysics, Evident Technologies, and VEC Technologies.
Immediately before and after, attendees will be given the chance to speak with the executives in “networking sessions.” All faculty, staff, students, and area businessmen are invited to attend.
Black technology
Rensselaer will once again host Family Technology Awareness Day this Saturday, as part of Rensselaer’s commemoration of Black Family Technology Awareness Week.
The event, taking place in the Union, will last from 11 am to 4:30 pm. This year’s theme is “Embracing the Future for Our Community.”
The day will include seminars and demonstrations, a building competition with the National Society of Black Engineers, and a special tribute to African Boot Dance.
Free t-shirts will be given to the first 100 to register, and there will also be a drawing for a free computer at the end of the event. In addition, a free pizza lunch will be provided.
For more information and to RSVP, contact Trina Beaudoin at 276-3060 or at beaudp@rpi.edu
NLRB investigation
The National Labor Relations Board will begin its investigation into allegations of unfair labor practices at RPI today.
The Service Employees International Union has accused the Institute of threatening workers with the loss of their jobs if they vote pro-union, while the Institute is charging that the Union has drummed up these accusations in the hope of gaining support for the unionization from unsure workers.
A secret ballot election to decide the issue was originally scheduled for January 16, but was postponed because of SEIU’s allegations.
